Pearses 6-19 Corofin 0-6: On Saturday evening last with conditions perfect for a football championship game Pearses came out as comprehensive winners over Corofin in Monivea. andamp;nbsp;Pearses’ led from the start and never looked back in this Championship Quarter Final game.
Pearses’ started strongly, and led 0-4 to 0-0 after 5 minutes with two points from Tomas Flannery and one each for Aiden Murray and Enda Cunniffe. Pearses scored their first of 6 goals soon after when Flannery won the ball from a kick out to give a lovely pass to Kerrill Hardiman who finished well into the top corner. Hardiman quickly followed with another point to leave the score at 1-5 to 0-0 after 10 minutes. Pearses’ then lost Ronan Skehill to a knee injury who was then replaced by Ronan Bellew. Corofin finally began working the ball into the forwards but the Pearses backs were dominant Sean Hardiman won the ball and quickly laid off to Leo Morrissey who in turn kicked the ball to Kerrill Hardiman, who hand passed to Ronan Bellew which assisted Enda Cunniffe to throw it over the bar in a Dublinesque run of play.
On fifteen minutes Tomas Flannery kicked Pearses’ one and only free in the game over the bar. Corofin won a free in the next play and kicked well to finally get their first score on the board. They then followed with a point from play and looked to be finally getting into the game, but that was to be theyandamp;rsquo;re last score of the first half. Great defensive work from the Pearses’ backs was to keep them out Corofin had two chances following but great pressure from Garry Lally and young Lee Murphy forced Corofin to kick wide. Pearses’ then replied to the resurgence of Corofin with two well worked points from Emmet Ward.
On the stroke of half time Pearses’ then lost centre back Damien Wynne to a black card who was replaced by Fearghal Flannery, Corofin missed the resulting free.andamp;nbsp; In the following play Adrian Bellew turned over the ball well and with a searing run through the middle laid the ball off to Ward who calmly slotted over for his third point of the evening, to leave the score at 1-10 to 0-2.
Corofin got the first point of the second half from a free but Pearses quickly replied with the ball well won by Ronan Bellew who passed to brother Adrian who set up Aiden Murray for a goal from the resulting kick out Adrian Bellew won the ball and laid off to Tomas Flannery who slotted over to leave the score at 2-11 to 0-3. Corofin followed with theyandamp;rsquo;re fourth point of the game from a free on 40 minutes.andamp;nbsp; Pearses replied with another point from Kerrill Hardiman. Ronan Bellew rose highest to catch the following kick out who passed the ball to Aiden Murray who volleyed the ball to the back of the net 3-12 to 0-4. James Gelston and Aidan Carrig replaced Niall Skehill and Lee Murphy. Great work from Leo Morrissey assisted Kerrill Hardiman for another point. James Gelston scored two points one each side of Corofinandamp;rsquo;s fifth point of the day from a free. Aiden Murray then followed with his second point of the evening.
On 45 minutes Garry Lally was replaced by Sean Walsh. Leo Morrissey struck his first point of the evening from a Ronan Bellew pass. Tomas Flannery won the resulting kick out and after a nice one-two with his brother Fearghal he laid off the ball to Gelston who assisted Ronan Bellew for a goal to finally get on the score sheet after some frustrating wide’s earlier.andamp;nbsp; Kerrill Hardiman was replaced by Paul Lally in the corner forward position after he impressed whenandamp;nbsp;introduced again Mountbellew/Moylough in the previous game.
Corofin were then to score theyandamp;rsquo;re final point of the game in what was probably theyandamp;rsquo;re best playandamp;nbsp;of the game leaving the score at 4-17 to 0-6. With five minutes left Fearghal Flannery made a great run up the field with the ball and passed in to Leo Morrissey who blasted the ball home. The goalie fluffed the resultant kick out which was caught by Gelston and he pounced with Pearses sixth and final goal of the game. In the last two minutes Pearses’ followed with 2 more points from Ward and Walsh to give the final score of 6-19 to 0-6. Pearses’ now await Milltown in the North Board Semi Final provisionally scheduled for three weeksandamp;rsquo; time.
Pearses: Edmund Flannery; Tommy McDonagh, Sean Hardiman, Lee Murphy; Adrian Bellew, Damien Wynne, Gary Lally, Leo Morrissey (C) (1-1), Aidan Murray (2-2); Niall Skehill, Tom Flannery (0-4 1f), Emmett Ward (0-4); Ronan Skehill, Enda Cunniffe (0-2), Kerrill Hardiman (1-3). Subs used: Ronan Bellew (1-0), Fearghal Flannery, Jimmy Gelston (1-2), Aidan Carrig, Sean Walsh (0-1).
Report: David Gilligan.